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- Rehm, Jürgen, et al.
(author)
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Classifying alcohol control policies enacted between 2000 and 2020 in Poland and the Baltic countries to model potential impact
- 2023
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In: Addiction. - : Wiley. - 0965-2140 .- 1360-0443. ; 118:3, s. 449-458
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: The study's aim is to identify and classify the most important alcohol control policies in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) and Poland between 2000 and 2020.Methods: Policy analysis of Baltic countries and Poland, predicting potential policy impact on alcohol consumption, all-cause mortality and alcohol-attributable hospitalizations was discussed.Results: All Baltic countries implemented stringent availability restrictions on off-premises trading hours and different degrees of taxation increases to reduce the affordability of alcoholic beverages, as well as various degrees of bans on alcohol marketing. In contrast, Poland implemented few excise taxation increases or availability restrictions and, in fact, reduced stipulations on prior marketing bans.Conclusions: This classification of alcohol control policies in the Baltic countries and Poland provides a basis for future modeling of the impact of implementing effective alcohol control policies (Baltic countries), as well as the effects of loosening such policies (Poland).
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| 2. |
- Rehm, Jürgen, et al.
(author)
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Do alcohol control policies have the predicted effects on consumption? An analysis of the Baltic countries and Poland 2000–2020
- 2022
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In: Drug And Alcohol Dependence. - : Elsevier BV. - 0376-8716 .- 1879-0046. ; 241
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Many population-based alcohol control policies are postulated to work via changes in adult alcohol per capita consumption (APC). However, since APC is usually assessed on a yearly basis, often there are not enough data to conduct interrupted time-series or other controlled analyses. The current dataset, with 21 years of observation from four countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland), had sufficient power to test for average effects and potential interactions of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) three “best buys” for alcohol control: taxation increases leading to a decrease in affordability; reduced availability (via a decrease in opening hours of at least 20 %); and advertising and marketing restrictions. We postulated that the former two would have immediate effects, while the latter would have mid- to long-term effects.Methods: Linear regression analysis.Results: Taxation increases and availability reductions in all countries were associated with an average reduction in APC of 0.83 litres (ℓ) of pure alcohol per year (95 % confidence interval: −1.21 ℓ, −0.41 ℓ) in the same year, with no significant differences between countries. Restrictions on advertising and/or marketing had no significant immediate associations with APC (average effect 0.04 ℓ per year; 95 % confidence interval: −0.65 ℓ, 0.73 ℓ). Several sensitivity analyses corroborated these main results.Conclusions: The WHO “best buy” alcohol control policies of taxation increases and availability restrictions worked as postulated in these four northeastern European Union countries.
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| 3. |
- Rehm, Jürgen, et al.
(author)
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Impact of the WHO "best buys" for alcohol policy on consumption and health in the Baltic countries and Poland 2000-2020
- 2023
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In: The Lancet Regional Health. - 2666-7762. ; 33
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Alcohol use is a major risk factor for burden of disease. This narrative review aims to document the effects of major alcohol control policies, in particular taxation increases and availability restrictions in the three Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) between 2000 and 2020. These measures have been successful in curbing alcohol sales, in general without increasing consumption of alcoholic beverages from unrecorded sources; although for more recent changes this may have been partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, findings from time -series analyses suggest improved health, measured as reductions in all -cause and alcohol -attributable mortality, as well as narrowing absolute mortality inequalities between lower and higher educated groups. For most outcomes, there were sex differences observed, with alcohol control policies more strongly affecting males. In contrast to this successful path, alcohol control policies were mostly dismantled in the neighbouring country of Poland, resulting in a rising death toll due to liver cirrhosis and other alcohol -attributable deaths. The natural experiment in this region of high -income European countries with high consumption levels highlights the importance of effective alcohol control policies for improving population health.
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